Video tribute honors late UMass professor Tillis
Fred Tillis playing the saxophone, one of his many talents. CONTRIBUTED/EDWARD COHEN
Fred Tillis applauding at his 90th birthday concert celebration in February 2020. ELIZABETH SOLAKA/COURTESY UMASS MUSIC AND DANCE DEPARTMENT
Published: 5/3/2021 12:06:53 PM
AMHERST When Dr. Frederick C. Tillis turned 90 in February 2020, his birthday and long tenure as music professor at the University of Massachusetts and years as Fine Arts Center director were celebrated during a live performance.
Less than a month after the third annual Bezanson Legacy Concert, the COVID-19 pandemic would curtail similar in-person events, and Tillis, director emeritus of the Fine Arts Center, would die unexpectedly on May 3, 2020.